European Press Association

[Implaria]

Thaumantic Fleet leaves Westport
EPA Deliverance

The Thaumantic Fleet of the Socialist World Republic has been mobilized and moved out of their naval base at the city of Westport. Departure of the Thaumantic Fleet from Westport is often seen as a signal of heightened tensions between the SWR and its neighbours, due to Westports unfavourable strategic position in case of an enemy attack.

The deployment was not announced by SWR authorities and comes a day after a leak within navy authorities claimed that objections from navy command had prevented a planned deployment of the fleet to the Engelsea. The current government of the SWR has been outspoken in its protests against the establishment of an exclusive zone by Domain forces in the Engelsea.

President Trumms administration has thusfar ignored requests for comments on the matter. Meanwhile the Thaumantic Fleet has been spotted moving eastwards through the Cassiopeian Sea. Social Democrats in the Senate have already accused the Trumm administration to plan to carry through with the initial deployment plans to save face, even against explicit protests from the admiralty.

 

[Implaria]

Burgundian People's Republic calls for international volunteers
EPA Pillau

With Domain forces pushing onwards from now destroyed Ouistreham, the Burgundian People's Republic is preparing for prolonged warfare and has issued a call for volunteers from across the globe to "stop Engell imperialism". Men and women willing to fight for the Gallian nation are called upon to make their way to Burgundy by way of one of their neighbours and state their intentions at the border. According to the Burgundian government, its intention is to train and equip these volunteers and form them into seperate units to combat their Domain enemies.

The People's Republic has promised volunteers a "fair wage" and "the chance to fight for a just cause", as well as anonimity for those who may require it, such as Domain citizens. In its call for volunteers the Burgundian government also claimed that, with the help of these international volunteers, Domain forces could be repelled soon and peace restored to Gallia.

 

[Rheinbund]

Aussenministerium — Ministero Degli Esteri
Trier, Eiffelland-Retalien — Treviri, Eiffellandia-Retalia

We want to make clear that citizens of Eiffelland-Retalia are not allowed to join foreign armed forces. The punishment is confiscation of all possessions, the loss of Eiffelloretalian citizenship and the prohibition to enter, travel through or stay on Eiffelloretalian soil or in Eiffelloretalian territorial waters. Exceptions to that rule are only given in special occasions, for instance the Eiffelloretalian contribution to CONPROFOR. Such an exception will explicitly be denied for joining the Burgundian People's Republic's army as an international volunteer. It is the stance of the Government of Eiffelland-Retalia that the conflict in Neustria must be solved at the negotiation table; Eiffelloretalian citizens joining the armed forces of the Burgundian People's Republic as international volunteers is in violation with that stance.

Gianluigi di Gravesano-Carone, Minister of Foreign Affairs

 

[Pelasgia]

Pelasgian Asylum Bureau rejects Clarenthian's asylum application
EPA Propontis

The Eastern Archipelago Regional Office of the Pelasgian Immigration and Asylum Service (YMA) has rejected the asylum claim of G.W., a Clarenthian citizen who is wanted in his native country for evading his sentence in the Human Commodity System. G.W. arrived to Pelasgia after being rescued from a shipwreck; there, his criminal status was discovered and the Clarenthian authorities requested his deportation. Once that request was granted, G.W. applied for asylum claiming that, if returned to Clarenthia, he would be subjected to "cruel and unusual punishment, in the form of slavery".

The Pelasgian authorities rejected this argument, stating that penal labour is, in fact, a regular and acceptable form of punishment, which is regularly imposed by many civilised countries, and was up until rather recently even used in Pelasgia. The Immigration and Asylum Service was unconvinced by G.W.'s attempts to argue that the Human Commodity System is not mere penal labour, but a form of selling persons into a servile status, something which has been unconstitutional and illegal in Pelasgia for centuries. The Clarenthian state itself denied this claim via a communique, in which it noted that G.W. was paid for his labour and was not owned by any person or body at any point.

G.W. has already filed an application for judicial review of the decision via his attorney, a lawyer working with the Pelasgian Civil Liberties Coalition (PESPE) who is providing his services pro bono. PESPE has also applied to intervene in the case, alleging that there are significant human rights, administrative abuse and fundamental justice issues at stake. For its part, the Ministry of Justice of the Empire of Pelasgia has filed a motion to dismiss G.W.'s application. The Ministry has stated that is prepared to uphold the denial of G.W.'s asylum claim, both due to the facts of the case itself and due to its implication for the asylum system at large. The Commonwealth of Clarenthia has yet to comment on the issue, though it would be able to legally intervene in the case via its Embassy, to present arguments as an intervener.

 

[Vrijpoort]

Two Men Detained in Nedernesia for Drug Dealing Face Capital Punishment
EPA Vrijpoort

The Royal Commonwealth Mounted Police (RCMP) Anti-Drug Unit raided the homes of two men aged 25 and 32, and discovered hundreds of kilos of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and a garden of cannabis plants. The home lies in the satellite city of Roodepoort, north of central Vrijpoort about a one-hour metro ride from the metropolis. The men have been charged with drug dealing, growth of illicit plants and possession of highly illicit substances. Because of their intent to sell the drugs, the existance of plants and records discovered in the home of previous and intended sales, the Crown Prosecution Office has requested capital punishment, which is the standard in Nedernesia.

Had only marijuana been found, the law would likely be less severe with asset repossession, 30 strokes of the cane and two years in a rehabilitation facility.

Both men are Nedernesian citizens. EPA was unable to determine at time of press whether they hold citizenship in any other country (about a third of Nedernesian citizens hold more than one passport and much of the population is made up of non-citizen permanent residents and non-permanent residents).

The Royal Magistrate's Court in Roodepoort has assigned both men legal counsel as they do not have sufficient funds for their own solicitors.

Drug laws are notoriously severe in Nedernesia with polls suggesting that a majority of the populace supports them as they are deemed to work and deter. Nevertheless certain areas of Vrijpoort are known for drug use and a sub-culture of cocaine use by some in high society exists.

Visitors to Nedernesia are handed immigration landing cards before touchdown with a large, clear warning written in red block letters in multiple languages: DRUG SMUGGLING PUNISHABLE BY DEATH. Those who have brought drugs with them are given one chance upon landing to anonymously dispose of their contraband in bins before reaching customs and passport controls. Last year over 20,000 anonymous deposits into the bins were recorded.

 

[Rheinbund]

Random Eiffelloretalian government official in the elevator to a colleague: "And we thought that we were harsh."

 

[Highstar]

New King of Highstar ascends to the throne
Today marked the coronation of King Michael III of the Kingdom of Highstar. The longtime Tanist of his father Andrew IX, the new king's reign will be met with contempt, as the anti-monarchist Popular Party gains seats in the National Assembly.

 

[Ostmark]

INTERVIEW WITH MARTHA FELD, AUTHOR OF THE BEST-SELLER BOOK "HORST PAUL GRASSER: THE UNTOLD STORY"
EPA Wien

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By Robert Jackson

WIEN (People's Republic of Ostmark) - Few figures on the world stage are more intriguing - or more terrifying - than Ostmark's infamous People's Chancellor Horst Paul Grasser. The Wise Leader, as he is refered to in his country, dictates the lives of Ostmark's 5.7 million citizens with an iron first.

Since coming to power after the October 2018 elections, largely influenced by the prolonged state of endemic poverty during the so-called "Days of Sorrow", Horst has slowly begun bringing his country out of its stagnation by implementing shock economic policies at the expenses of virtually all political and civil rights. He allowed some free market economic enterprises to continue operate in the country and held many face-to-face meetings with the leaders of Germania and Gallia, in a desperate attempt to bring his country out of its historical self-imposed isolation.

He even appeared at several press conferences and took actual questions from foreign journalists on live TV - something completely unheard of in the Kadikistani Union or in the People's Republic of Polesia.

Yet the man himself remains an enigma.

In a new book titled "Horst Paul Grasser: The Untold Story", European Press Association's Martha Feld provides an intimate, inside look at the man who has captivated Gallia and Germania — his troubled teen years as an orphan, his years working as a welder at Ostmarkian Motors Factory, his close relationship with his sister Andrea Grasser, and his violent rise to power.

Martha Feld is a prize-winning reporter who arguably has covered Grasser's Ostmark better than most journalists in recent memory. And her book is among the most authoritative and comprehensive accounts of Horst - both as a man and as a dictator. It’s mainly why I called her up to get a better sense of the man behind the iron curtain.

Robert Jackson
So who is Horst Grasser? What makes the man tick?

Martha Feld
His number one goal, the thing he wakes up thinking about every day, is how to keep the people on his side. But all he cares about is holding on to his job and keeping his family in charge of Ostmark. Every decision he makes and everything he does revolves around that top priority.

He is a very polarizing figure even in Ostmark, where the people regard him as a national hero, as a savior and a benefactor while his detractors, mostly outside the country, regard him as a ruthless totalitarian despot. He knows he needs the support of the people to stay in power so, contrary to the stereotype of a crazy old man, he is very strategic and calculating in the way he approaches his rule.

Robert Jackson
You write in the book that he didn’t speak to most of his co-workers at Ostmarkische Motoren Werke, and he couldn’t handle even sitting in the dining hall, that he would ignore and talk in the back on his fellow workers.

Martha Feld
He certainly was frustrated by his low-wage job and living conditions at the time, this only reinforced his hatred for the system and the political elites of the liberal Republic of Ostmark. I think that’s why he was so withdrawn at work.

But he did make one friend, Karl Dietrich, and he seemed able to open up to him. He actually told him that one day he would become the ruler of Ostmark and kick the "capitalist oppressors" out. Of course, the guy didn’t believe him initially. But the two were the founding members of the Ostmarkian Workers' Party, a precursor political movement of the National-Syndicalist People's Party. Still, it shows he was able to warm up to people when he wanted to.

What stands out most about his life to me, though, is that he wasn’t a psychopath. He was just a frustrated worker. Nobody talked about him torturing kittens in his childhood or anything like that, and there’s no evidence that he’s crazy.

Robert Jackson
One of the most fascinating things you talk about in your book is Horst’s grieving of his defunct wife, Laura Grasser, who is idolatrized by Ostmarkians as a national heroine. There is even a statue of his wife dedicated "To the Victims of the Days of Sorrow" in Volksrepublikplatz. Can you tell me more about his wife and the role she played in his life?

Martha Feld
The story of Laura Grasser is indeed a sad one. According to Linda Grasser, Horst's expatriated sister and stern opposer of the National-Syndicalist regime, Horst's wife died for causes related to her diabetes in times when the Kohler government had cut funds for insuline shots. Linda also claimed Horst ordered her husband, a doctor who worked at Wien's central hospital, executed for refusing to treat his wife the night she died.

Regardless of what actually happened that night, Horst's refusal to seek psychological support after Laura's death only reinforced his grievance and pain, leading him to a severe form of depression and to suffer some sort of extent Post Trauma Stress Disorder, which is clearly seen in most of his public appearances and propaganda speeches filled with hatred for the now deposed liberal political class.

Horst blames capitalism and liberalism for the death of his wife Laura and he will have no peace as long as he believes "western capitalist lobbies" are seeking to destroy his nation and kill the people he loves. He vowed to kill the enemies of his nation and people before that happens.

As of today, we have accounts of at least 20 executions of former members of the Kohler government, including Chancellor Kohler who was found guilty of "Crimes against the people of Ostmark" by a court nominated entirely by the National-Syndicalist People's Party.

Robert Jackson
So in a few words what is Horst trying to achieve with his totalitarian methods and rethoric-filled hate speeches?

Martha Feld
In a few words? Ruthless Revenge.

 

[Serenierre]

Serazinist political blocs battle it out for votes, as Serenierre heads to the polls
EPA Villesen

Elections in the nominal one-party communist state of Serenierre are serious business. While the Communist Party of Serenierre has maintained full control of the country since the Marxist-Serazinist revolution of 1927, several internal blocs within the party are actively engaged in securing votes in the general elections for the Commissariat of People's Deputies (the Serenien legislature and the Supreme Body of the Communist Party of Serenierre).

The general elections of 2020 mark the first time in close a decade where the stellar Martinique-Lavosnier bloc, hitherto the unquestioned majority for the past ten years, finds itself unsure of whether the country shall support the modernist brand of Serazinism espoused by its dynamic leaders. Recent polls have suggested that conservative and Ivar friendly politicians have gained considerable ground, as the Serenien economy has strayed further away from the social welfare oriented principles of traditional Serazinist economic theory.

Critics have condemned the militant and aggressive foreign policy followed by the Martinique politburo, which abandoned the traditional defensive neutrality posture of the country. When questioned by reporters after casting her vote, Premier Elisabeth Martinique said with a smile, "My Premiership has made this country stronger. When my Bloc was elevated to the Politburo, I came to a country struggling to find relevance in a fast moving world. Now, we stand internationally sure of where we stand."

 

[Prydain]

EPA Sant Dewi
Political Brewing in The Capital before end of month Election
Ken Skates quits Druid Conservative Party all together in order to create a new party called the People First Party by end of the week in order to contest in January 31st Elections. With deadline for all parties to register themselves by the 17th and the new party just being formed. Actual damage they could do to the DCP vote share is minimal but the main pain they could cause is taking DCP members who are currently serving in the Witan. With Rhodri Morgan minority government relaying on votes of the Royal Purple and Progressive Federal Party gaining in the polls everything is to be played for.

 

[Ostmark]

EPA Wien
OSTMARK: A NATION OF SYNTHS, LASERS AND SECRET POLICE
We spent a night in Wien, and we will never forget it.

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WIEN (People's Republic of Ostmark) - It's ten minutes past 11pm and hundreds of people are in queue infront of Eastern Lights - People's Disco Club. The "Temple of the Ostwave Sound", as it is known around here, is the beating heart of Wien's night life, a meeting place - probably the most important one - for thousands of girls and boys ranging from their late teens up to their mid thirties. Nothing out of the ordinary for a night club, except for the fact that Eastern Lights is a state-owned night club, managed by the Jugenbund der National-Syndikalistische Volkspartei, the Youth League of the National-Syndicalist People's Party, and the infamous Ministry for Propaganda and People's Enlightenment, the headquarter of Horst Grasser's redundant and pervasive propaganda machine.

As we lined up in queue amongst hundreds of noisy young fellas, we couldn't ignore the overwhelming presence of the activists of the National-Syndicalist People's Party. As if during a military drill, men and women in black uniforms bearing the red Hammer and Sword (the symbol of the National-Syndicalist ideology) either ordered us to step forward or to stand still as the crowd slowly crossed into the many halls of this monumental building. With a capacity of almost 10.000 customers, Eastern Lights is definately ranked in the top 10 of the largest night clubs of Gallia-Germania and possibly of Europe.

The whole building was commissioned by the Ministry for Propaganda and People's Enlightenment itself in late 2018, and built in almost-record time by the Volksarbeitsdienst, Ostmark's People's Labour Service. Its purpose? Provide the youth with a place to stay at night, dance, drink, have fun, and show that life in a pseudo-socialist dictatorship can be as fun as life in a capitalist country. The regime has so far spent many resources for youth entertainment out of the fact that the young generations of today are the adult generations of tomorrow. By digging in their teenage memories, adults would then tell their children of how happy their life was during the early years under the new regime presided by People's Chancellor Horst Grasser, their "Wise Leader", and become part of a propaganda machine that would embue children, almost since birth, with the most iconic National-Syndicalist propaganda slogan "The Days of Sorrow are over".

After almost one hour we finally walk past the entrance and we are immediatly overwhelmed by a storm of laser beams, neons and revolving flashing lights. A band is already performing on stage, infront of an hysterically, or ost-erically cheering crowd. Waiters and staff members are busy bringing bottles of tequila, malibù, rum and other exotic liquors to the many tables scattered around the huge dancefloor.

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Suddenly, we are back in 1986. ​

All around us we can see haircuts and clothes that we deemed long out of fashion and forgotten. And for good reasons i must add. Regardless, we couldn't even pretend ignore the overall atmosphere of happiness and fun. It was a mechanism that fueled itself under the rhytmic of retro disco beats and synthetized basslines that indulged the crowd in a state of quasi-trascendence, as if life began and ended between those walls under the magic emanated by dozens of overly saturated flickering neon lights. The night went on and, we must admit it, at some point we forgot our roles as journalists of European Press Association.

As if in a suddenly interrupted lucid dream, all the lights were suddenly switched on. The music stopped, and a female voice announced the end of the show. It was 4 in the morning. We were feeling both sad and happy, happy that we revived our youth in the mid 80's, sad for the knowledge that we will hardly live in such an extraordinary neon-filled experience anytime soon.

But it was in that moment that we realized our lucid dream was nothing but the results of a carefully planned lights and music shows. Once again, the activists of the National-Syndicalist People's Party in their intimidating black uniforms guided us towards the exist. Outside, large groups of inebriated men barely made it to their seats in the back of one of the many busses provided by the local authorities. Drinking and driving is taboo in Ostmark, and it is a jailable offense.

As we raised our hand to catch the attention of a taxi driver, two men wearing an elegant suit approached us flashing their badges. We immediatly recognized the insigna "Halt, Staatsicherheitsdienst" said one of the men. It was the infamous State Security Service, Ostmark's political police and intelligence agency. We immediatly recollected ourselves, despite the many drinks we had during the night.

The two men started an inquiry on us. I don't remember a time during my life when so many questions were asked in such a short time. Thankfully we kept our VISAs and permits in our wallets, and after half an hour the two men ordered us to return to our hotels. It was a silent trip. Even the taxi driver barely spoke to us except for a few words such as "Ja" "Nein" "Bitte" and "Danke". Now that we think about it, he might aswell have been an agent of the State Security Service, trying to overhear our comments and opinions. Soon we realized our entire night was de facto dictated by a strict time table filled with strict rules enforced by a regime that is omnipresent and over-pervasive in every aspect of life.

Such is life in the People's Republic of Ostmark. A life presenting a dichotomy with retro haircuts and electronic beats, laser lights on one side, and National-Syndicalist propaganda, secret police agents asking your paper in the middle of the night on the other side.

 

[Polesia]

Investigation: inside Polesia's other Jews
EPA International

The end of the Seven Day War saw the greatest population transfers in the Three Seas region since the establishment of the Free State of Trivodnia in 1921, as the Rurikgrad Pact encouraged Jews from Crotobaltislavonia, Kadikistan, Elben and elsewhere to resettle to Polesia, the socialist state carved out of Yiddish-majority areas of former Trivodnia.

Official disclosure of the exact numbers of Jews resettling in Polesia has yet to be published.
However statements from Crotobaltislavonia and Kadikistan as well as independent analyses estimate the number could run into the hundreds of thousands. This scale of demographic upheaval has not been seen in the region since the end of the Trivodnian War of Independence, where ethnically based population swaps were agreed between Trivodnia and Kadikistan.

Known as the Voluntary Population Transfer Programme, the Polesian initiative aimed to encourage Jewish immigration to Polesia, at first by offering tax breaks and incentives. However the failure of the initiative saw a darker side emerge, as Jews in Kadikistan, Crotobtislavonia and elsewhere were forced to relocate to Polesia, often a gunpoint.

This mirrors the ethnic cleansing at the formation of the Polesian People's Republic, with Slavian-majority areas annexed by Kadikistan and Crotobaltislavonia after a series of controversial plebiscites that many international observers considered unfree and unfair. Polesia Slavians not in the conquered territories were also encouraged or forced to move either to Kadikistan or Crotobaltislavonia.

The voluntary population transfer programme ended last year after protests from the Crotobaltislavonian and Kadikistani governments, who feared a backlash from the international community.

However sources close to Kadikistani military intelligence say the scheme may have been a success, as it helped dilute the power of Jewish Trivodnians and creates a potentially new loyal supporter base. Jewish settlers from Crotobaltislavonia and Kadikistan are been given preferential treatment when it comes to healthcare and jobs, as well as cash sums upon arrival as part of integration programmes.

This has reportedly stirred resentment on the ground in Polesia, leading to riots targeting Polesia's newest citizens.

 

[Polesia]

Ex-Trivodnian chancellor to visit Johnstone Isle
EPA Ogallala

Alexander Kahnemann, Chancellor of the former Free State of Trivodnia, is to visit the Confederate States of Johnston Isle and meet with Johnstonian Chancellor Rebecca Daniel to discuss increasing support for the Trivodnian government-in-exile.

The meeting, which was announced in a press statement released by the exiled Trivodnian administration, comes at a time of rising tensions between the Organisation of Democratic States, of which Johnston Isle is a leading member, and the communist Rurikgrad Pact, which defeated Trivodnia in the Seven Day War.

The European Press Association understands Chancellor Daniel was not informed of the press statement ahead of its release and that the Johnstonian government wanted to keep the visit secret.

Kahnemann will be joined on the trip by External Affairs minister David Trunk and National Defence minister Ludwik Horwitz. No other Johnstonian official is believed to be attending.

Kahnemann, who was a controversial figure when head of government, is a divisive figure amongst the Trivodnian diaspora.

Many blame his foreign policy for provoking Kadikistan and starting the Seven Day War, which saw Trivodnia overwhelmed by Kadikistani forces and the country divided. Slavian-majority areas were annexed by Crotobaltislavonia and Kadikistan after a series of referendums that many international observers claim were fraudulent, while Jewish-majority areas were reformed as the Polesian People's Republic.

As a result, many Trivodnian political parties refused to join Kahnemann's exiled national unity government, including the bulk of the Krasnislavian National Party as well as all of the Jewish Homeland Union and the Alternative, which represented Trivodnia's other Slavian minorities.

However, other Trivodnians see him as a hero who stood up to Kadikistani bullying only to be betrayed by Trivodnia's allies, and for resisting calls to divide the country along ethnic lines on the home front.

The Trivodnian government-in-exile has no permanent headquarters but is believed to spend most of its time in the Union of Eiffelland-Retalia, despite Trier recognising the Polesian People's Republic as legitimate.

According to the exiled administration's website, all of its funding comes from voluntary donations from the Trivodnian diaspora and organisations sympathetic to its cause, although Polesia and Kadikistan have accused of it being financially supported by foreign governments and being behind several terrorist attacks in the Polesian People's Republic. Kahnemann and others in his government have strongly denied both charges.

 

[Serenierre]

Old wounds, new reasons
Article by Mme. Sophie Ménard

EPA Villesen || The rivalry of the Buro-Serenien countries is as old as the continent of Gallia itself. Birthed from the collapsing remnants of the Holy Frankish Empire, it commenced when the former Duchy of Villesen broke free from the control of Chagny many centuries ago and wrested the support of a number of other ducal vassals (some by bloody conflict and others by more subtle ways) to form the western Frankish nation of Serenierre. The Kingdom of Serenierre came. The Grand Duchy of Bourgogne arrived. The Kingdom fell through scarlet revolution. The Grand Duchy fell to crimson revolution. Alas, even in such similar fates to the former aristocratic systems, the two countries seem fated to stand on opposite sides.

When the Burgundian People's Republic was born, the Serenien political intelligentsia was convinced that the long history of animosity between the Frankish people in Gallia would give way to a more peaceful and harmonious time for the region. The old wounds of eastern and western Frankish prejudice would give way to a friendly and decidedly Marxist Frankish nation, bound by unity in culture and of ideology, spread across two equal brother states to stand strong across Gallia. Alas, it seems fate had another plan.

The news of Burgundian membership of the Ruriksgrad Pact has been received with an uncomfortable silence by the Serenien Government. Premier Elisabeth Martinique, known for her incisive commentary in sessions of the Commissariat of People's Deputies has elected to omit any mention of it in recent speeches. Commissar Bernard Lavosnier, the kingpin of Serenien diplomacy, too, has elected to focus instead on un-ruffling feathers ruffled by the silly efforts of the Montedorans to egg the Pelasgians on maritime claims. In turn, even President Maximilien Hortefeux and the other senior party leadership has deflected attention to other matters.

While, I, as a Serenien journalist have not received any directions from any official source to avoid the topic, the general perception among the press corps in Villesen is to not waste time with questioning the top brass on the issue of Bourgogne. Instead, it has come to light that upon Burgundian membership of the Ruriksgrad Pact, the Serenien military has quietly restored all its military positions on the Burgundian frontier to the status it held before the collapse of the Grand Duchy. Many pan-Frankish supporting Serenien citizens had been most happy to hear that upon the collapse of the Grand Duchy and the ascendancy of the People's Republic in Bourgogne, Serenierre had finally relaxed the frontier between the two countries to a non-military status.

Alas, it seems, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The great tragedy of Gallian history continues...

Disclaimer: This Article is an opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stance of the publication.
​

 

[Vrijpoort]

BREAKING NEWS: Earthquake Strikes off Nedernesian Coast
EPA Vrijpoort

• Nedernesian Geological Survey records 7.1 magnitude earthquake south of the island of Batavië where Vrijpoort is located
• Tsunami warning has been raised across archipelago and also includes southeastern Strathclyde, Pohjanmaa and Andros, southern Tyskonia, western B.P.R and Serenierre
• Epicentre is roughly equidistant between Batavië and island of Grootland
• Reports coming in of skyscrapers swaying in Vrijpoort CBD and underground MRT trains halted
• Air raid sirens have sounded across Vrijpoort and in coastal areas of rural Nedernesia
• Multiple unconfirmed reports of buildings collapsing across Vrijpoort districts despite strict earthquake building codes
• Flights into and out of Vrijpoort Transcontinental Skyport (one of Europe's busiest) temporarily suspended; inbound flights diverted to nearby countries

THIS IS A DEVELOPING BREAKING NEWS STORY

 

[Thaumantica]

WSA - DEPARTMENT OF STATE

In recognition of the profound crisis gripping our partners to the north we offer the deployment of the W.S. Clarke - a helicopter carrier, and the W.S. Gatekeeper - a hospital ship to assist in search, rescue, and care operations.

We further call upon other Westernesse nations to react as swiftly and considerately as to this calamity as we would to one of our many and devastating natural disasters.

 

[The Federation]

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS - STATEMENT

The Continental Republic stands ready to assist the people Nedernesia and all other nations affected by this earthquake. Military medical personnel stationed in Strathclyde are standing by to assist, they need only the approving word of your government.

God be with you.

Katalin Faraday
Director of Foreign Affairs

RENDER NOT UNTO TYRANTS
THE CONTINENTAL REPUBLIC OF SYLVANIA​

 

[Kaziristan]

EPA Jarabad
NO HOPES FOR PEACE IN WAR-RAVAGED KAZIRISTAN
Violence intensifies as security forces battle with insurgents to hold control of key provincial capitals.

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Shocking footage shows intense firefights between security forces and insurgents in the district of Durquba​

[/div]JARABAD (Islamic Republic of Kaziristan) - Huge death tolls that would once have made headlines are becoming commonplace in Kaziristan, as the insurgents of the self-proclaimed Islamic Emirate of Great Kaziristan flex their muscles daily against security forces struggling to cope. There remains no clear end in sight for a 21-years war that has turned into a bloody stalemate. Kaziristan has never been as insecure as it is now and the Emirate controls more territory than at any point since the beginning of hostilities in 1999 .

The Kaziri civil war has already become the longest war the modern history of Europe. With the passage of time, the conflict has not only become more intense - it has also become more complicated. The attacks are becoming bigger, more frequent, more widespread and much deadlier. Both sides - the national government led by President Farjaad Durrani and the insurgents led by self-proclaimed Emir Khalid al-Durquba- are trying to gain the upper hand. On 5 May 2019, the Emirate entered Jarabad, Kaziristan's capital city, before the Kaziri National Army supported by air strikes pushed them back. On 15 July in the same year, rebels entered the capital of Durquba district in north-eastern Kaziristan. Many Emirate fighters are killed and injured as they are pushed back after attacks on provincial capitals, but such attacks have a huge propaganda value for the group and boost their morale and recruitment. The insurgents also take weapons and vehicles with them as they retreat.

Many other towns and district centres remain under constant Emirate threat. Large parts of provinces like Minjar and Fandahar- where hundreds of security forces soldiers were killed - are now under Emirate control. Meanwhile, civilian casualties are at an unprecedented level. According to estimates, more than 10,000 civilians were killed or injured in 2019, and the number is expected to be even higher in 2020.

Given the high frequency and spread of Emirate violence, the Kaziri security forces are overstretched and, in some cases, overwhelmed. Kaziri forces have been fighting hard to stop the Emirate's expansion. But their casualty rate remains alarmingly high and appears to be increasing. Questions have been raised about the lack of robust and inspiring leadership, the timely supply of logistics, and corruption. The bickering between political and government leaders in Jarabad is also having a negative impact on the smooth running of the government and the security situation.

 

[Ebria]

Nethian Revolutionary Association fully banned in Natal
EPA Camp Hill

In a landmark decision, the Federal Tribunal of Natal, based in Camp Hill has decided that the Nethian Revolutionary Association's ideals and program are "incompatible with democracy and with Natal's racial concord" and thus decided to blacklist the Association by calling it a terrorist one promoting racial discrimination and Rozvian supremacism at the expense of the Loda, Mbunda and non-Natalian Nethians, but also Coloured and White Natalian and non-Natalian citizens.

The Nethian Revolutionary Association, NRA in short has been founded in the late 1980s as a breakaway from the Communist Party of Central Himyar, disappointed that the party has gone into a state of what they called "comatose" after the signing of the 1956 Pelasgo-Kadikistani SQT, and have promised to continue the campaign to turn Natal into a socialist society by empowering the Nethians against the "white led capitalists" and against traditionalist kings and superstitions. Recently, during the chairmanship of Simba Sibanda, the NRA has taken a weird turn in its policies, ending their campaigns for a regional republicanism in the Loda Chiefdom and the Rozvi Kingdom and replacing it with a series of xenophobic actions which targeted not Rozvi people living in Mzuzu and the other cities and towns of the Rozvi Kingdom. After shops and local businesses owned by white Natalians, Coloured, Toyou but later also non-Natalian Nethians have been attacked, the Tribunal of the Rozvi Kingdom was the first to turn against them designate them a terrorist organisation.

The activities of the group have gone worldwide after a spike in gang violence in Sylvania at the beginning of the last year has made President Breckenridge promise that a referendum on immigration will take place in the Continental Republic at some point, making the NRA see now Sylvania as an enemy too, hellbent on oppressing it's non-Nordic peoples too. Some of the more radical elements in the NRA which had ties with the Nethian-Westernesse communities went as far as to call them to revolution, to create a "Heavenly Society, a nethian state in Westernesse". After a series of more attacks against the Loda and Mbuna, which have shown that the NRA leadership was preaching Nethian Empowerment and Revolution outside of Himyar, while turning into a Rozvian supremacist group in Natal, the local tribunals of the Mbunda State, the Loda Chiefdom and the Free State of Langfield too have branded them as terrorists and a campaign of the local police was started to root them out, arresting about 45 members.

Today, the tribunal of Camp Hill, the only one that has authority over the whole of the Federation has decided to push for the nation-wide ban of the NRA, making Natal the 5th country doing so after Sylvania, Loago, Azraq and Pelasgia. The Federal Police's Anti-Terrorism Brigade has announced that they will start a nationwide campaign to root out NRA inspired terrorism and will contact their colleagues from the Continental Republic of Sylvania to work together with the hopes that there will be no terrorist or xenophobic attacks taking places in neither of the two countries.

Much of the NRA popularity has surged after the wars in Loago, Port Stanley and the economical hardships in the Empire of Azraq have started a migration wave from the eastern fringes of Himyar towards the centre of the continent. A consequence to that being a rise in xenophobia in the border regions of Natal, even if many of the migrants weren't stopping in the Federation per se, but rather going forward, to Pelasgia and from there Eiffelland, Etruria, Auraria, Madurja, Asteria and others.

 

[Serenierre]

A blogger of courage: Juliette Matignon

Arierre (EPA) || With her sardonic wit and radical views, Juliette Matignon has fast become a voice of considerable influence among the cynical and dissatisfied in the more liberal and urban corners of the Sérazinist one-party democracy that is Serenierre. With a following of around 500,000 daily views on her blog per day, some of her posts have been giving traditional news articles a run for their money.

Speaking to reporters from EPA, Ms. Matignon, 23, said, "I believe that my views are interesting for a lot of people and I had the benefit of growing up in a very unorthodox environment where we don't sanctify (a.) religion or (b) Serazin. My family taught me to be critical of those two hallowed principles of my country's political establishment and that is a first I think in the digital age."

When asked about her views on the Folxmashin scandal, she said: "Well, I was trolling the Eiffellanders but it was absolutely hilarious when their association heads responded in full to me. That brought me my first million re-twats. So I thank him for it."

The cheery Ms. Matignon has recently been pursuing a Masters in Graphic Technology at the University of Monserans with dreams of founding her own animation studio, "Art for me is life."

When asked about any fears she may have for speaking so freely, she laughs, "I am not scared. I think one should only worry about Alexandre Renaudiere or Sylvestre Choiseul - the former would shoot me and the latter would burn me." Of course, she is referring to the Serenien politicians known for their pro-Marxist Leninovist and Christian hardliner views, respectively.

When asked about the current Premier, she said: "She bores me. Martinique... or Maman Martinique as I call her... has been sitting tight for over ten years. Sure, she has done a lot. But she just isn't fun, you know what I mean? Like, she just get me going like how Hayabusa does."